David Spade Says It Took “25 Years” to Earn Back Eddie Murphy’s Forgiveness After Infamous SNL Joke
David Spade is finally on good terms with Eddie Murphy — but according to the comedian, that peace was decades in the making. On a recent episode of his podcast Fly on the Wall, Spade revealed that it took “25 years” to repair his relationship with Murphy after a notorious Saturday Night Live joke left the comedy legend furious.
Spade Recalls Overnight Fallout With His “Hero”
Spade said the rift began in the mid-1990s during a Weekend Update segment, where he mocked Murphy’s box office flop Vampire in Brooklyn. The punchline — “Look, children, it’s a falling star. Make a wish!” — aired live, and Spade quickly realized he had crossed a line with the performer he deeply admired.
“It was weird going from being a super fan to having him hate me overnight,” Spade said, noting that Murphy called him soon after the segment aired. “I didn’t really fight back. I felt guilty. He was my hero.”
Murphy: “I Was Like, ‘Oh, F*** SNL’”
In his recent Netflix documentary Being Eddie, Murphy revisited the moment from his perspective. He clarified that his anger wasn’t aimed solely at Spade — it was directed at the show as a whole for approving the joke.
“The joke went through all those channels, and then he’s on the air saying, ‘Catch a falling star,’” Murphy said. “I wasn’t like, ‘F*** David Spade.’ I was like, ‘F*** SNL. That’s what y’all think of me?’… That’s why I didn’t go back for years.” Murphy infamously avoided SNL for a long stretch afterward, citing the hurtful jab as a major reason.
A Long Road Back
Spade admitted that the situation created tension any time their paths crossed. “We had some bumps in the road along the way,” he said. “I tried to win him back for the last 25 years.”
The two finally reunited at the show’s SNL50 celebration last year, where Spade says they talked and “everything’s fine.” Murphy later confirmed, “Yeah, we’re all good,” signaling that the long-standing grudge had officially ended.
A Full-Circle Moment
What began as a brief joke — one Spade now says he regrets — spiraled into a decades-long chill between two of comedy’s biggest names. Today, the tension has thawed, and Spade says he’s grateful the relationship with his childhood idol has come full circle. Stay tuned to InvestRecords.com for more entertainment updates, Hollywood insights, and breaking celebrity news.
